Holy Week

The last week in Jesus Christ’s life changed the world forever. See how with each day, we can better understand His incredible mission and the new life it can provide for all.

Jesus Christ rides triumphantly into Jerusalem, His followers reverently laying down cloaks and palm fronds in His path. It is not the first time He has entered the city. His three-year ministry took Him across the Holy Land, where He taught, worked miracles, and spread the light of His gospel. But this time, Jesus Christ is preparing to perform His most important miracle of all.

Like everything He did, Jesus Christ’s entrance fulfills prophecy. His arrival in Jerusalem is powerful evidence that God keeps His promises to His children. Our Heavenly Father provided a way for us to overcome sin and death—through His Son, Jesus Christ.

After entering Jerusalem, one of the first things Jesus Christ does is go to the temple. There, inside His Father’s house, Jesus sees various merchants buying and selling to those passing by. Speaking with unmistakable authority, He commands them to leave.

The cleansing of the temple at Jerusalem was an act of bravery. We can take courage knowing that Jesus Christ did what He knew to be right, whether it was popular or not. When we follow Him, we receive the strength to do the same.

Jesus’s presence in Jerusalem did not go unnoticed by the authorities. Seeing Jesus as a threat, they seek to discredit Him. On the Temple Mount, they question Jesus in hopes of finding something they can use against Him. But Jesus’s inspired answers reveal no crime, and His enemies only discredit themselves.

Despite incredible opposition, the work of Jesus Christ moved on. Because of His great love for us, we don’t have to face life’s obstacles alone. When we seek His help, we can overcome even the greatest of challenges.

The events of Wednesday are unknown. But instead of focusing on where Jesus was, we can focus on what Jesus taught during his ministry.

Jesus was the Master Teacher. By opening our hearts to Him, we can find answers to life’s most important questions. But to do so, we must be as His disciples were—humble and sincere.

Jesus observes the Passover with His Apostles in what is often referred to as the Last Supper. He shares His love for them, through both His words and His actions. Then together they depart to a quiet garden called Gethsemane. But what happens next Jesus must endure alone. He prays and is overcome by unfathomable agony. This is the beginning of the culmination of Jesus Christ’s sacred mission. He takes upon Himself the sins of the world.

Even though He lived a perfect life, Jesus Christ paid the price for all our sins. It was a sacrifice only He could make, and He did so willingly—for you, for all of us.

In the early hours of the morning, Jesus is betrayed into the hands of the local authorities. After a series of one-sided trials, He is sentenced to death by crucifixion. He dies on the cross that afternoon, with His disciples and accusers present as witnesses.

Because Jesus Christ experienced such profound suffering, He has perfect empathy for us when we are in pain, be it physical or spiritual. Because He overcame death to live again, He has the power to help us rise above the challenges in our lives, no matter how dark and difficult things may seem.

The night before, Jesus Christ’s body had been placed in the tomb. The scriptures are mostly silent on the day after His crucifixion.

Likely, this was a day of deep reflection for His followers and their families. Likewise, you and your family are invited to take time to truly think about what Jesus Christ went through and why He was willing to do so.

Early in the morning, Mary Magdalene, a friend and follower of Jesus, comes to the tomb to care for Jesus Christ’s body. To her astonishment, she finds the tomb empty. But she is not alone. A man addresses her, a gardener, she supposes. But then He says her name, “Mary.” And she sees. He is Jesus. The Christ lives.

Jesus Christ overcame death and was resurrected, and because He lives, all of us will live again. Because He lives, not just on the third day, but this day, every day, we can find Him.